Content delivery networks (“CDNs”) typically receive content objects such as video and audio files from their customers such as content providers, and host the content objects on behalf of the content providers. The CDN may include a network of points of presence (POPs) that are geographically distributed so that end users can access the content objects with minimal delays. The CDN may also be responsible for transcoding the content objects into formats that are compatible with a variety of user devices and transmissible at a variety of bitrates. Sometimes the transcoding is done internally, for example within the POPs themselves, or a CDN may choose to use external, cloud based services for at least some of the transcoding. CDNs may also choose to purchase other external resources as needed to complement those resources residing in the POPs themselves.